Fallen Dove 2
by Ravenblackdove
Summary: The sequel to Fallen Dove. A warrior falls from space with the symbol of the Black Dove on his shoulder. But is that possible? Ryoko doesn't think so.


The world exploded in a fury of fire and rock that sent flames and pieces of the planet flying through space. The single person space ship flew as fast as it could, but the blast caught up with it, knocking it out of control and pushing it further and faster. The bombardment of shrapnel and tiny bits of rock were tearing the ship apart. If it didn't get out of there fast, the explosion was going to completely destroy it. The pilot struggled with the controls, trying to straighten the nose back out. Finally, he was able to get the ship flying straight again. He used the combined force of the thrusters and the push of the explosion to speed him to safety. After a long and hard maneuver, he escaped the blast, just barely outrunning it. 

Raven set the ship to autopilot back to HQ and rose slowly and painfully from his seat. He was cut, scraped, and bruised just about everywhere on his body that he could think of, and it wasn't from the explosion. He had just engaged in the most ferocious battle of his life. His opponent was the most devastatingly skilled warrior he had ever known. His name was Pitch, and Raven just barely escaped with his life. 

He walked back through the ship, into the head. He opened the medicine cabinet and began to take out and apply bandages to himself. As he put each one on a wound he would look at it as an act of a higher force or some really damn good luck that it was just a wound and not his death. When he was finished he sighed and walked into the main berth. He laid down in his bunk and drifted into a very relieved sleep. His fight was finally over. 

His ship piloted itself through space for the next few hours as he slept without dreams. Finally he was awakened by the ship's proximity warning. It was getting close to it's destination. Raven rose from his bed and made his way to the cockpit. He sat in the pilot seat and took the controls, turning off the auto pilot. He looked out at his destination, Black Dove Headquarters. He pressed the communication button and spoke. 

"Dove station, this is Raven returning from combat, requesting docking clearance.", he said. 

He got no response. Puzzled, he took his ship into the docking bay and landed. The hatch opened and Raven stepped out. His eyes widened and he lost his breath as he saw what lay before him. His heart raced. The station lay in shambles. Bodies were everywhere. The part that amazed him the most was that they were all Black Doves. How in the hell could anybody take out an entire station of Doves. Who could possibly have that kind of power. He could only think of one person, but that was impossible. He had been chasing and fighting Pitch ever since he left the station. Pitch was never out his sight. It couldn't have been him. So who the hell was it? 

Raven walked through the station, surrounded by the bodies of his fallen comrades everywhere he went. He came to a console and typed over the keys. The view screen flickered on. He searched through the records. They didn't say anything about how all this happened. Raven cursed. Then he came across a tiny glimpse of hope. The last entry told him of a single remaining dove out on a mission. Devin Mikari had chased Kaelan Kinkari to a planet on the outer rim called Earth. Raven looked up the coordinates. Taking them into memory, Raven ran back to his ship and took off for Earth at full speed.

Ayeka sighed. The sun shone down on her and a warm breeze blew through her hair. She smiled as she finished tending to the flower garden on the side of the house. Kiyone walked behind her with her arms full of laundry ready to dry. 

"It's hard to believe this house was on fire just a few months ago.", Kiyone said. 

Ayeka stood and turned to her, wiping her forehead and taking in a deep breath of fresh air. She nodded. 

"I agree.", She said. "Devin sure did a good job at repairing the damage that Kaelan did."

"I wonder when he'll be coming back.", Kiyone said, hanging the laundry on the clothesline.

"It shouldn't be too long.", Ayeka explained. "He said it would probably take him a year."

"So he'll be back next summer?", Kiyone asked.

"Well, I can't be certain, but that would be my guess.", Ayeka said.

Tenchi walked through the carrot field with a full basket of carrots strapped to his back. Ryo-ohki lay relaxing in the basket, meowing and every now and then nibbling on one of his beloved vegetables. Tenchi was on his way back to the house from a long day of working in the fields. His stomach growled at him. Ryo-ohki's ears perked up and he meowed at Tenchi. 

"At least you get to eat something.", Tenchi said. "Man I wish Devin was still here. Sasami always cooks like it's a special occasion when he's around." Tenchi sighed and kept on walking. "I wonder when he's coming back."

Ryoko was laying lazily on the couch in the living room. The remote control was in her hand and she was flipping through the channels, frustrated at the lack of good things to watch. Finally, she turned the TV off and tossed the remote aside. 

"Oh, this is all boring.", She said. "I'd probably have more fun watching Tenchi. Hey, now there's an idea."

Ryoko disappeared from the couch and appeared in the carrot field. She looked around for Tenchi, but he was no where in sight.

"He must have started home, I guess.", Ryoko said to herself.

Ryoko floated about a foot off the ground and flew in the direction of home. She figured she could catch up to him on the road. _Then I would have him all to myself, and without that pesky princess to get in my way_, she thought. 

Raven's ship shot through space at high speed. The stat screens on the control console told him that he was drawing near to his destination. He input the coordinates of Devin's estimated landing point, which were only accurate to about ten thousand meters but it was all he had, and pressed the button to activate the retros. The dim green lighting that filled the cockpit turned red and the air filled with the sound of an electronic alarm. The stat screens flickered off and came back on reading {ERROR: RETROS DAMAGED}. 

"Shit!", Raven cursed. 

The explosion of the planet had damaged the deceleration systems. They must have just barely been holding together. Now was a fine time for them to shake loose, but he didn't have time to think about that right now. Raven was speeding toward the planet, with no way to slow down. He was going to have to execute a suicide maneuver to come out of this one. He accelerated toward the planet, flying at an angle to the surface. He wasn't just using his thrusters to accelerate anymore as the Earth's gravity caught hold of him. He was plummeting like a rock with a rocket engine now. He held the ship steady. The ground was coming up fast. Still, he held the controls fast and still. Objects on the surface of the planet were becoming visible and discernible. He held it for just a few more seconds, waiting for the last possible second, then he pulled up. He swooped down, scraping the ground as he arched upward, just clearing the surface as he leveled out. But he didn't stop there. He kept on nosing up at incredible speed. Soon he was flying straight up. He killed the engines immediately and held on in faith. His ascent began to slow as the gravity still held him. After a short time, the ship stopped and hung in mid air for just a moment. Then it began to drop. It was going to be bad, but at least it wouldn't be as bad as flying full speed, face first into the ground. Raven held on tight and waited. 

Ryoko flew along the road, thinking about Tenchi the whole way. He finally came into view and she rushed to his side. 

"Tenchi.", She called to him.

Tenchi looked over at her. "Huh? What are you doing here?"

"Is it a crime to want to spend some time with the man I love?", Ryoko asked.

"Well, uh-", Tenchi started.

"I was just thinking about you, and I thought I would pay you a little visit.", She interrupted. "And now that that nasty little princess isn't around to spoil our fun, we can do whatever we want."

Tenchi laughed nervously. "What if I just want to go home and eat?"

"Oh don't be so boring, Tenchi.", Ryoko insisted and began to play with his nose and chest. "Let's have a little fun before we go."

"Well, I don't know.", Tenchi protested. "I really think we should get home. Sasami needs these carrots for dinner and-"

"Shh.", Ryoko commanded. "What's that sound?"

The air around them filled with a loud noise that was getting louder and closer. Ryoko looked up to see something falling from the sky. It was big and was falling right for them. 

"Look out!", Ryoko shouted. 

She jumped at Tenchi and grabbed him, pulling him out of the way. The object landed fast and hard, sending dust and debris flying everywhere. The sudden impact jerked it to an immediate stop. Ryoko and Tenchi lay on the ground a few yards away from it, recovering from the commotion. Ryoko looked up to see what had almost hit them. It was a space ship. A small one. Big enough to have crushed them with ease, but it looked to her to be only big enough for one or two people to live in. She quickly got to her feet and took up an aggressive posture, gathering energy into glowing red spheres, one in each hand and a couple floating around her, ready for action. 

"Calm down, Ryoko.", Tenchi said. "We don't even know who it is. Someone could be hurt in there."

"I'm not taking that chance, Tenchi.", Ryoko said. "The last time you and I found a crashed spaceship you ended up almost getting killed. I'm not going to sit around and let that happen again."

Ryoko stood, ready for anything. She could see the hatch from where she was. It didn't move. She waited for a little while longer, but nothing happened. 

"We'd better see if anyone in there needs our help.", Tenchi said. 

"Ok.", Ryoko gave in, still uneasy about the whole situation. "I'll go first."

_She moved to the door. There was a panel beside it. Ryoko examined the panel, but it didn't look like it was getting any power to it. It must have lost power when it crashed, she thought to herself. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to do it the hard way. _

The door exploded inward under the force of Ryoko's blast, and clanked to the floor. 

"Oh yeah, that's cool headed, Ryoko.", Tenchi said, displeased with their method of entry. 

"Hey, we got in didn't we?", Ryoko argued. "Now lets see who's in here."

The ship was dark inside. None of the lights were on. The power outage extended through out the entire ship. Ryoko lit the way with one of her energy balls. She and Tenchi made their way through the small hallway to the front of the ship. Ryoko walked into the cockpit. It was a mess. Metal and clutter lay everywhere, and even the pilot seat had been knocked from its stationary position. Ryoko saw someone out of the corner of her eye and channeled the ball into an energy sword, pointing it directly at him. He didn't move. He was laying in the corner, unconscious and pretty badly beat up. Tenchi was close behind her.

"You see?", Tenchi said. "I was right. We'd better get him to the house fast."

"I don't like it.", Ryoko complained.

"He needs our help, Ryoko.", Tenchi said. "We can't just leave him here."

Ryoko's eyes narrowed angrily and suspiciously. She hated it, but Tenchi wanted to bring this guy home, so she was going to help him. But she sure as hell wasn't going to let her guard down with this guy. Not for a second.

Raven lay unconscious on the bed. Washu sat beside him, examining his injuries. She carefully removed his shirt to tend to the wounds on his sides and chest. Exposed, his body was a strong one. It was toned and trim with very well defined muscles. His injuries weren't too bad. A bruise here, a scrape there, but all in all he would be ok very soon. Washu looked him over, her eyes dancing over every curve. Then she noticed something. It was on his right shoulder. She leaned in to get a closer look. Her eyes widened and she gasped as she saw what it was.

"But that's impossible!", she said to herself in disbelief. 

Ayeka stood in amazement at what Washu was showing her. She shook her head and looked at Washu.

"But I thought Devin had said there were no more Black Doves left.", Ayeka said.

"That's what I thought.", Washu agreed. 

"So who is he?", Ayeka asked. "Do you think he could really be another Dove?"

"I don't know for sure.", Washu explained. "I guess we'll just have to ask him when he wakes up. It shouldn't be too long now."

"I'll go tell the others.", Ayeka said.

Ayeka turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Washu sat down in her chair, watching over her patient with curious eyes.

Raven held Taesia in his arms. She was shaking all over and tears were streaming down her face. He held her close and tight, feeling every straining breath she took and her speeding heartbeat through his chest. Her blood ran warm down his arms and dripped onto the ground. Her breathing grew short and rapid until she was taking in and pushing out so fast that she wasn't actually breathing at all. She gripped him tighter, as tight as she could, and tried to speak through the hasty ins and outs that hardly took in or pushed out any air at all. 

"I.. love.. you.", she mouthed to him. 

He could just barely make out the sound of what she was saying and held her tighter. 

"I love you.", He whispered to her. Then he cried it. "I love you."

The pain of overexertion and suffocation combined with her injuries suddenly became overwhelming and she tightened up. She jerked him away to a distance just far enough so she could see his face. Her eyes widened in panic and she stopped breathing, forcing a quiet, pain filled squeal through her throat. Sadness and panic were in her face. Her grip was getting tighter on his arms. Pain seared through him from where she clasped him, but he could barely feel it through the cloud of emotions racing in his mind. He started to shake his head, not wanting to lose his only love. "no.", he said. Her grip got tighter. "no.", he forced through the crying that he was holding back. Her nails began to cut into his arms. "No.", He said louder. She gave one last short squeak, and then her grip loosened and the muscles in her face relaxed. Raven looked into her eyes, searching for some sign that she was still ok. Her eyes began to glaze over as the last of her tears rolled down her cheeks and away from her eyes. The air was silent. Raven didn't make a sound, nor did he move. He could feel a knot forming in his throat and adrenaline filling his stomach. He began to breath heavier and heavier until a scream built up inside him so intense that he couldn't hold it back. It burst forth and he cried out so loud and so hard that he almost made himself throw up. He cried so desperately that his tears splashed against the ground and onto his lover's face. He held her so close and so tight, and he screamed in despair. The sound of his screams became distant and faded until they were nothing but an echo in the back of his mind as he slowly opened his eyes.

The room was dark and quiet. It was night time now as he could see from a nearby window without having to turn his head. He noticed that he was covered with a blanket and was laying in a rather comfortable bed. He looked over to see a beautiful, young looking, red haired woman sitting in a chair watching over him. She wasn't watching him very closely so she didn't notice that he had woken up. Slowly, he sat up in his bed. He was sore all over and his muscles ached, but other than that and a couple of cuts and bruises he was alright. Washu looked up at him, taking notice of his movement. 

"I see you've finally woken up.", She said.

"Did you bring me here?", He asked, making friendly eye contact.

"No.", she said. "I tended to your wounds. My daughter, Ryoko, and Tenchi, our host brought you here. They saved you from your spaceship after you crashed. You almost hit them."

"I apologize.", He said, humbly. "My retros went out on my way down and I lost control. Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it.", Washu said, shrugging it off.

She handed him his shirt. It was black, like everything else he wore, and it was made of a soft, elastic, silky material. He slipped it on over his head and it was just loose enough to hang a little bit off of him, mildly hiding his muscle tone and allowing his skin to breathe. He stretched out a little and swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. 

"Your boots are in the corner over there.", Washu said, pointing to the far corner of the room.

Before Raven could thank her again, four balls of energy formed around him from out of nowhere. Ryoko appeared in the room, a few feet away from him. She had an aggressive expression on her face.

"Who are you and what are you doing here!", Ryoko demanded. "Answer me or I'll blow you to bits!"

Raven immediately took up a defensive stance and answered Ryoko's question in a calm, casual tone.

"My name is Raven.", he said. "I'm looking for a man named Devin Mikari. Have you seen him?"

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't.", Ryoko shot back. "What do you want with him?"

"He's the only survivor of an elite military unit.", Raven explained. "His last recorded whereabouts are on this planet in this general vicinity. He was on a mission to track down a criminal that in all likelihood he can't defeat on his own. I'm trying to find him so I can help him accomplish his mission and so I can deliver him the sad news of the deaths of his companions and his father Calaban."

"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore.", Washu interrupted. 

Raven and Ryoko turned their attention to Washu, who had risen from her seat at the beginning of the whole situation.

"Devin already knows about all that. And as for Kaelan, well we almost didn't make it, but Devin came through in the end.", she continued.

"So Kaelan is.. ", Raven started.

"Dead.", Washu finished.

"And Devin?", Raven asked.

"He's fine.", Washu answered him. "He left here a little over a week ago. I guess you just missed him."

The door swung open and the whole family ran into the room. They had all heard about the symbol on Raven's shoulder and saw Ryoko disappear in a hurry at hearing the news. 

"Now Ryoko, don't jump to conclusions!", Ayeka said as soon as she was in the room. 

She stopped with wide eyes filled with surprise when she realized what was happening. Everyone's eyes observed the floating balls of energy glowing around Raven. Most of them weren't sure what to do about it and froze up, watching to see what would happen next. Katsuhito wasn't most of them. He very calmly stepped forward, walking a little past Ryoko and addressing Raven.

"Good morning.", Katsuhito said to him. "Or good evening, rather, if you wish to go by the time of day. Did you have a good sleep?"

"Not really.", Raven replied. "I've been having a lot of bad dreams lately."

"Well, that's too bad.", Katsuhito consoled. "Maybe a little of my special tea would clear that up for you. I'm sure we can put our aggressions aside for a little while and settle all this over tea."

"I would be delighted.", Raven said.

"Ryoko?", Katsuhito spoke to her without turning his attention away from his guest.

Ryoko eased up and the energy balls disappeared. She folded her arms and looked away. 

"That's a good girl.", Katsuhito said. "My name is Yosho, but everyone here calls me Katsuhito."

"My name is Raven.", Raven returned the courtesy. "I'm pleased to meet you."

Raven took a sip of his tea. It was good. Ryoko watched him very closely. Sasami also took an interest in him, knowing about his tattoo. 

"So, Mr. Raven, tell us about the tattoo on your arm.", Katsuhito requested. "Isn't that the symbol of the Black Doves?"

"Yes it is.", Raven replied.

"But how is that?", Washu asked. "I thought Devin said he was the only Dove that survived the attack."

"I'm not a Dove anymore.", Raven said. "I've taken my walk."

"Your walk?", Ayeka asked.

"It's a Black Dove tradition, though it's not well known because mine was the first to actually take place.", Raven explained. "When a Dove retires, he takes a walk down what is known as the long hall. I was the first to ever walk."

"You don't look very old to have retired already.", Ryoko said.

"Even so, I've earned it.", Raven said. "I've done the most for the Doves and I've suffered the most losses in my service."

"What kinds of things did you do for the Black Doves?", Tenchi asked.

"I started them.", Raven answered. 

"But that would make you.. ", Ayeka started.

"The first Dove.", Raven said. "I put the organization together and I trained the Doves myself in the beginning."

"So when Devin said that the best of the Black Dove warriors was Calaban Mikari, he said it because you were no longer part of the program.", Ayeka said.

"That's right.", Raven said. "Now I have a question for you. Did Devin say anything about the attack on the Black Dove headquarters?"

"Only that he was the only survivor.", Washu said.

"Did he say who did it?", Raven asked.

"Yeah, Kaelan.", Ryoko said suspiciously. "You didn't know that?"

"I wasn't there.", Raven said. 

"Well, it was Kaelan.", Ryoko replied. 

"It couldn't have been Kaelan.", Raven said. "He didn't have the skill to take on the entire station of Doves by himself."

"Well, that's what Devin said.", Tenchi said.

"How did Devin survive.", Raven asked. 

"Well, he wasn't exactly there.", Ayeka said.

"Then it wasn't Kaelan.", Raven said. 

"Well, on a different note, now that you're no longer in search of Devin, what are you going to do now?", Katsuhito asked. 

Raven thought for a moment. He hadn't really thought about that. He didn't have a ship anymore so he couldn't exactly get off the planet. 

"I don't know.", he said. "I guess I'll have to find a place to stay, since I'm retired now."

"Well, you're welcome to stay here if you'd like.", Katsuhito offered. "Of course, you'll have to share in the chores around the house, but I'm sure that won't be too difficult for a man of your status."

"I would be honored.", Raven said.

"Well then, you can start after breakfast tomorrow morning.", Katsuhito said. "Since you've just been through such a great ordeal, you can start with something simple. Go to the carrot fields with Tenchi and help him pick the carrots. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Absolutely.", Raven nodded and smiled.

Sasami walked with Raven out of the dining room. It was late and they were tired. Sasami yawned and stretched her arms as they walked. 

"I'm sorry about Ryoko.", Sasami said. "She's just afraid that since you're here, something's gonna happen to Tenchi."

Raven looked over at Sasami with a puzzled look on his face. "Are they together?"

"No.", Sasami shook her head. "She just really likes him."

"I guess he doesn't feel the same, huh.", Raven said.

"Nope.", Sasami confirmed. "He doesn't."

"Well, I guess I can understand how she feels.", Raven said. "I mean, it's only natural to want to protect the one you love."

"I guess so.", Sasami said thoughtfully.

They came to the stairs that led up the second floor. Sasami stopped. Raven stopped too, and turned toward Sasami. She looked up at him with wonder in her eyes.

"Um, can I ask you something?", She asked. 

"Sure.", Raven said. 

"Did you know Devin when you were a Dove?.", She asked.

"A little.", He answered. "Why?"

"Oh, cause I'm worried about him.", She looked at her feet, embarrassed.

"Why should you be worried about him?", Raven asked, very puzzled.

"Well, like you said, it's only natural.", She said.

Raven raised an eyebrow and widened his eyes in surprise. Sasami still wouldn't make eye contact. Raven shook his head and regained his senses.

"Does he know?", he asked, still in a little bit of a shock.

Sasami nodded. "Uh huh. He's probably worried about me right now, I think."

"So he feels the same about you?", Raven asked.

"Do you think he's ok?", She asked, worry in her voice.

Raven thought the situation over for a second. She was only a girl. But Raven knew his Doves and trusted their judgement. She must be worth it to Devin for a good reason, he knew it. 

"Devin is a Black Dove.", Raven said. "Need I say anything else?"

Sasami looked up at him a little surprised at the friendliness in Raven's voice. Then she smiled. 

"Thanks.", she said. Then she turned to her original business. "We don't have anymore rooms so you'll have to sleep on the couch for a while. Is that ok?"

"Sure.", Raven smiled. "I'll just have to build a place to stay tomorrow."

"Ok.", she said. "Well, I'm going to bed now. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night.", he said.

"Good night.", Sasami said back as she ran up the stairs and disappeared into the hallway.

The fire burned high, a bright, flaming wall standing in Raven's way. He ran at the wall of fire and leaped through it, face first, somersaulting when he hit the ground and coming up to a fighting stance. He stared into Pitch's devilish eyes. Taesia lay on the ground in front of Pitch. She was a little bruised but she was ok. Pitch was smiling a sadistic sort of a smile. He was enjoying himself. 

"Let her go Pitch.", Raven said with a calm yet demanding voice. "You don't need her."

"Ok.", Pitch stepped away from Taesia. 

Taesia looked back at Pitch, a little confused. Then she looked at Raven. His eyes were still locked on Pitch. She slowly got to her feet and started for Raven. Pitch's eyes narrowed. 

"You're right.", he said. "I don't need her."

Raven's eyes widened in fear. Pitch lifted his arm and painted his hand, palm forward, at Taesia.

"Taesia, run!", Raven shouted. 

Taesia's heart sped up and adrenaline pumped through her stomach as she started to run as fast as she could. Pitch's hand began to glow a bright yellowish orange. Raven ran toward Taesia. A huge flash of energy shot out from Pitch's hand. 

"No!", Raven cried.

The blast was getting closer and closer and bigger and bigger. Taesia ran as fast as she could but it was still gaining on her. Raven was trying his best to get to her before the blast could but it was no use. The blast slammed into Taesia's back. She screamed as it carried her through the air. The blast got so bright, Raven could hardly see anything, and he could barely hear Taesia scream over the sound of rocket engines the energy shot was making. 

"Taesia!", Raven screamed as he sat up fast. 

He was breathing so hard it was like he had been running for three days straight. Sweat covered his skin and soaked into his clothes. His heart raced inside his chest. His eyes darted around the room. Finally, he realized where he was. He was back on the couch in the Masaki house. Raven closed his eyes and sighed. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes exhaustedly. A cool breeze blew against his skin, relaxing him a bit. He pulled his hands away from his face and opened his eyes in wonder. He looked over to where the breeze came from. The sliding door was open to the outside. He stared at it curiously for a moment. He knew that door was closed when he went to sleep. 

Raven stood up and walked over to the door. Looking out into the moonlit night, he saw Sasami, sitting by the lake. She was leaning back with her hands behind her, holding her body up, and had her legs straight out in front of her. She was gazing up at the stars. He could faintly hear her talking to herself. He heard Devin's name a couple of times. She must have been pretending to talk to him, hoping that if she believed in it enough, he could hear her through the stars. Raven smiled and looked up at the sky. Then he looked back at her. He felt a little bit better now. He turned and walked back to the couch. He laid back down and closed his eyes. 

"We're home!", Tenchi called. 

He and Raven walked into the house after going out to the fields and picking carrots. Ayeka came into the room smiling. 

"Oh hello, Tenchi.", She greeted them. "You two are home early."

"Well with Raven helping me in the fields, the work takes even less than half the time it normally takes me.", Tenchi said. 

At that point, Kiyone walked in from outside. She had a broom in hand and a smile on her face. 

"Hey guys.", She said. "You're home early. I guess it's a good thing Raven's here to help."

"If only that good for nothing Ryoko could take his example and actually do something around here for a change.", Ayeka commented. 

"You sure do earn your keep around here, Raven.", Tenchi said. "I'm sorry we don't have a room for you."

Raven shook his head and smiled. "It's ok. Actually, I was going to go out to the woods and gather some materials to make my own room outside the house."

"That'd be a great idea.", Tenchi said. "Help yourself to whatever you need, and if you need any help, I'd be more than happy to lend you a hand."

"Thanks.", Raven smiled. 

The air was filled with the sound of birds in the trees. Every now and then an occasional squirrel would run across the forest floor and disappear into the underbrush as suddenly as it appeared. Thin beams of sunlight shone through the tops of the trees, making little circles of light here and there on the ground and low on the trunks of some of the trees. The rest of the light was transformed by the leaves into green illuminescence that filled most of the forest on its own. Raven was enjoying it. He walked through the woods, looking for good materials to build his new home with, but mostly he was relaxing and enjoying the view and fresh warm air that smelled of the forest. It was like a dream come true. He could think of only one thing that could possibly make it better. But he shook that off, trying not to remember. _He stopped and looked down at a good looking piece of wood laying on the ground. That'll work_, he thought. He leaned over and picked it up. No sooner did he have it a few feet off the ground did he quickly turn and launch it through the air like a spear. It slammed into a tree a couple of yards away. Raven stood straight and stared at the tree. He smiled. 

"How long are you going to pretend I don't know you're there?", he asked. 

"Figured me out, eh?", Ryoko said from behind the tree. 

Casually she floated out into sight and landed facing Raven. She had her hands on her hips and her feet shoulder width apart. 

"You've been following me for a long time, Ryoko.", Raven said.

"Well, I'm just making sure you aren't trying to pull something on my Tenchi.", she explained. 

"How about I teach you?", Raven offered.

"Huh?", Ryoko's eyes widened in surprise. 

"Why don't I teach you how to protect your Tenchi?", he continued.

She was caught off guard by this one. It was just out of nowhere and she certainly didn't expect it from him. Then she grew angry.

"Why would I need your help?", she snapped. "I can handle myself just fine and I don't need you, got it?"

"How bad did you lose when you fought Kaelan?", Raven asked.

Ryoko opened her mouth to say something, then found she had nothing to say. She thought about it for a moment. She knew she was good, but Kaelan did kick the hell out of her. She closed her eyes and turned her head away. 

"Fine.", she said angrily. "Where do we start?"

Ryoko opened her eyes and looked toward Raven again. She gasped as she realized he wasn't there. She looked frantically around her, trying to find where he went, but she couldn't find him. Suddenly Raven's legs swung down from above her and his heels collided with her face, knocking her to her back. Raven let go of the branch he was holding and landed on his feet. He turned to see Ryoko getting to her feet. She got to a fighting position and extended her energy sword. Raven walked casually by her, picking up the wood he threw earlier. 

"First thing you need to work on is your reflexes.", he said walking away with the wood on one shoulder. 

Ryoko straightened out, a little confused. She thought about what had just happened for a second, then she shook her head and realized what was going on.

"Hey!", she shouted as she turned to follow him. "Wait for me!"

Ryoko stood several yards away from Raven at the bottom of a rocky cliff. They were facing each other and she had her back to the rock wall. Sitting next to Raven was a big pile of stones he had collected from the nearby area. He picked one up in his hand and tossed it into the air, catching it on its way down. 

"Lesson one.", he said. "React."

He threw the stone at Ryoko. Ryoko caught it with one hand, easily. She smiled. 

"No sweat.", she said. "Is this all you've got. Because if it is, I don't think I'm gonna be taking lessons from you anymore."

"Lesson two.", he said as he picked up another rock. "React faster."

He threw the stone at Ryoko, several times faster than he did the last one. Ryoko gave a shout and moved out of the way. The rock just missed her, slamming into the wall behind her and breaking into pieces. 

"Hey!", She shouted at him. "What's the big idea? That could have really hurt!"

"Then I guess you'd better not let one hit you.", Raven smiled and threw another one. 

This one was even faster. Ryoko dove out of the way and the stone hit the wall, exploding into tiny fragments of rock and dust. She growled as she started to get up. 

"I gonna get you for that.", she threatened. 

"Lesson three.", Raven said. 

Ryoko's eyes widened in surprise and a little bit of fear. She froze, waiting for whatever was coming next. 

"React to more than one thing.", he finished. 

Raven launched two stones from the same hand. "AAAAAAH!", Ryoko shouted and moved to get out of the way. One rock missed while the other hit her in the arm. 

"Ow!", Ryoko shouted and grabbed her arm. "That hurt."

"Stop getting hit.", Raven said, launching three more rocks. 

Ryoko leaped into the air, coming between the paths of two of the rocks. They flew by her on either side, just missing, while the third nailed her in the shin. She fell face first onto the ground. She grumbled a little bit as she lay face down. Then another rock hit her hard on her head. 

"Ow!", she said. "Now wait just a se-"

At that point, Ryoko looked up to see another rock coming straight for her face. She threw herself up in a push up that didn't stop at the length of her arms. She came a few feet off of the ground and the rock crashed into the ground below her. She came back down in the downward step of the push up just as Raven threw another rock. She threw herself to the side, just escaping the rock, and rolled sideways. She quickly got to her feet and Raven started throwing a barrage of stones at her. She jumped and dodged and blocked as best she could, every few seconds getting hit by one. But after a few minutes she started to get the hang of it. The more they did this, fewer rocks would hit her. Finally after about an hour, Raven called it quits. He smiled at Ryoko who seemed too proud of herself to remember the pain from all the rocks she got hit by.

"You did good today, Ryoko.", he said. 

"Really?", she asked, a little flustered. "You really think so?"

"We'll continue this tomorrow.", he said. "I have to get to work on my home before I lose daylight."

Tenchi walked into the dining room later that night. Katsuhito sat at his place at the table, humbly awaiting the meal that would soon present itself before him. Tenchi sat down to wait also. 

"Have you seen Raven working on the little house he's making, Grandfather?", Tenchi asked. 

"Hmm.", Katsuhito nodded. "He seems to be adjusting very well to retired life."

"You should have seen him in the fields today.", Tenchi said. "I've never seen anyone work that fast."

"Tenchi, have you given any thought to taking a bride?", Katsuhito asked. 

"Huh?", Tenchi looked surprised. "I never really thought about it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you know, I'm not going to be around forever and I'm going to need someone to take care of the shrine for me after I'm gone.", Katsuhito lectured. "I'd ask your father but I don't think he's really up to the task. You on the other hand would be perfect for the job, but I'm worried you'll need someone to look after you when I'm not around to help you anymore."

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Grampa.", Tenchi said. "I'm honored that you would choose me to look after the shrine, but I'd rather not think aboutÉÊwell, you know. What brought all this up anyway?"

"I had a bad feeling, Tenchi, while I was meditating in the shrine today.", Katsuhito said. "A feeling I've been having for some time now. I'm afraid it may be a premonition of some sort, and it's best to be prepared for such eventualities."

"That's true, I guess.", Tenchi said, a little uneasily. "But I'm sure it'll be fine. I think you worry too much, Grampa."

"Hmm.", Katsuhito closed his eyes and tilted his head down.

"Taesia!", Raven screamed as he leaned up on the couch. 

His eyes darted around the room frantically. It was dark. He was back in the living room again. He shut his eyes and fell back into the couch. 

"Damn it.", he said to himself. "Why won't these damn dreams just leave me alone?"

He put his hands over his face and shook his head, letting out a deep sigh and wishing he could get more dreamless nights like the one he had on his ship a few nights ago. He opened his eyes and pulled his hands down until they only covered his mouth. He looked over to see that the sliding door was open again. He took a deep breath and let it out. The thought of Sasami sitting out under the moon light, talking quietly to herself as though Devin could hear her calmed him down again. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

The next morning, Ryoko woke up. She sat up in her bed and stretched her arms in a big yawn. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she put her feet on the ground and walked tiredly over to the door. She slid it open and took a step out. Before she had her whole body out into the hallway, a leg and a boot swung around and smashed into her face, sending her falling backward back into her room. She landed on the floor. Ryoko shook her head to regain her senses, looking up to see what had just happened. She saw Raven standing in the doorway, smiling. 

"Good morning, Ryoko.", he said. "It looks like we're gonna have to keep working on those reflexes."

Ryoko growled at him. He just smiled and walked away. She began to grumble angry things about him as she got to her feet and walked out to get breakfast. 

The table was its usual crowded self that morning. A wonderful breakfast was laid out, care of Sasami, and everyone, including Raven, was enjoying it. Between mouthfuls, Washu addressed Raven. 

"So, Raven.", she said. "I've noticed you're training my daughter."

Ryoko perked up in shock. She glared over at Washu.

"Hey!", Ryoko growled. "Now just how did you know that?"

Washu simply smiled, not bothering to turn her head to face Ryoko. "I still have that telepathic link to you, remember? So anyway, you're teaching my daughter, Raven?"

"Yes.", Raven nodded. "She's doing well."

"Well, of course she is.", Washu said. "She is mine. But do you really think you should give such skill to such an immature child?"

"That's enough, mom.", Ryoko grumbled, putting extra sarcasm on the mom part.

"The training will take care of that.", Raven said. "The training teaches control as it increases power."

"Oh!", Washu said. "Well, in that case, you can train her all you want. In fact, I'll pack you lunch."

"Wow, Washu!", Mihoshi said. "You can cook?"

"Well a scientist does need a hobby ya know.", Washu smiled.

Ryoko growled in anger and annoyance. Breakfast continued on normally.

"The nerve of that woman!", Ryoko complained as she walked beside Raven. "How dare she treat me like a little child! She can't treat me that way!"

Raven laughed. "Calm down, Ryoko. You've been going on like this since we left the house. How long are you going to keep complaining about something that doesn't matter?"

"But-", Ryoko started.

"What did her saying that do to you?", Raven asked in a more serious tone. "Did it stop you from doing what you are trying to do? Did it kill you? Did it do anything that makes any real difference?"

"It made me mad.", Ryoko said. 

"Why?", Raven asked. 

"It's just so annoying, she thinks she's this wonderful thing, like she can say anything about me and get away with it just because she created me and I'm sick of it.", Ryoko explained. 

Raven stopped and turned to face her. Ryoko stopped and looked back at him with wonder in her face, curious as to what he was about to do.

"You're an immature, insolent little brat, Ryoko.", Raven said. 

He gave her a second to realize what he had said, then he punched her in the face. She fell back a few steps and regained her footing. She looked at him with a face of both shock and anger.

"Now which one was worse?", he asked. "What I said, or what I did?"

Ryoko gave a slight humph and folded her arms in front of her, turning her head sideways to look away.

"I thought you would understand.", Raven said. "Now come on. We have more training to do. I shouldn't have been able to punch you like that."

A couple of days went by like this. Raven would work, then he would train Ryoko, then work on his new little one room house, and then night would fall. There wasn't a night that went by that Raven didn't have the same dream. And every night he would wake up to see Sasami sitting out by the lake, thinking of Devin. 

Each day, Ryoko would get better and better, and the training would become harder and harder. After a while, he taught her to fight hand to hand, Black Dove style. It wasn't long after that that Ayeka was bothering her less and less, but that was also partially due to the fact that less was able to get to Ryoko and make her mad. Not only was her skill increasing, but so was her self control. After all, it's no good to have power without control. After Ryoko had gotten the hand to hand down pretty good, excluding all the special powers she had, Raven began to train her to use those like he would if he had them. In just a few days, she was flying more gracefully than ever before and when she did, nothing could catch her. A couple of times he had Kiyone shoot at Ryoko while she dodged through the air. It wasn't long before Kiyone couldn't touch her. By the end of the month, Ryoko was lethal with her energy blasts and deadly with her sword. However, despite all the control she had learned, she was still Ryoko. True she was slower to anger, but not that much slower. As time went by she was being nicer and nicer to Raven. She would hang around and keep him company while he built his house and they would talk and tell each other stories of their pasts. Some of them were pretty funny and they would laugh and have a good time. It got to the point where Ryoko couldn't wait to go out and train with him. She had lost all the distrust she ever had for him.

"Tenchi!", Katsuhito called from just outside the house. "Tenchi!"

"Yes grandfather?", Tenchi appeared from inside.

"I'm going up to the shrine to get something.", Katsuhito said. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes. Why don't you check on Yugi while I'm gone."

"Yes grandfather.", Tenchi accepted.

Raven lifted up the door and set it on the hinges, sliding the rod through them and locking it in place. Finally, he had finished his new home, and tonight he would sleep in it. But first, it was time to take a break and wash himself. 

Tenchi walked into the cave in which Yugi slept. She was a little older now than she was when she first came into his life. She lay in her stasis unit, a soft light shining on her from above. Every now and then Sasami would come here and talk to her. Yugi was never awake, but Sasami figured she could still hear her. Tenchi walked over to her, looking her over. Then he looked down at the stats on the machine. Everything appeared to be fine. Nothing was out of the ordinary. He looked back up at her and smiled. 

"I might as well stay for a while.", he said. "I don't really have anything to do after this." He paused for a moment, putting his hands on the unit and laying his head on them. "I wonder when you'll wake up, or if what Ryoko said all that time ago about you becoming Sakuya is true. I heard Washu telling Sasami once that as you get older your powers will get stronger. I wonder how strong you'll become."

He leaned against the unit for a while, thinking about all this. After a moment, he heard Ayeka calling him from outside. He picked his head up and turned in the direction the voice came from. 

"Coming.", he called. He looked back at Yugi. "Well, gotta go."

Katsuhito opened the door to the shrine and stepped in. He glanced over to where the wooden practice swords were. Casually he walked over to them and picked one up. He turned to the door and braced himself up on the sword. 

"You might as well come out now.", he said. "I know you're here."

He stood waiting for a response. After a short moment of silence, he got one. 

"Well, if you insist.", a voice came from outside. 

In walked a man of average height and pure white, short hair. His eyes were just as white as his hair with no pupil or other colors anywhere in them. He was a strong looking man wearing all black and a tank top shirt. Katsuhito was calm and casual until he saw a very familiar mark on the man's right shoulder. It looked like the Black dove symbol, but it was backward. The triangle pointing up was on the wrong side of the line. Seeing this, Katsuhito brought his wooden sword up to a fighting position and stood in an aggressive stance. 

"I thought you wanted me to come out.", the man said. "You don't look very happy to see me."

"What is your purpose here.", Katsuhito asked. 

"I came for your new friend.", the man smiled devilishly. "But I might as well have some fun first. Pitch said I could."

Katsuhito's eyes widened and the man charged him. Katsuhito swung his sword at the man's mid section, but he leaped over the swing at blinding speed. Before Katsuhito realized he missed, the attacker was on his feet behind him, throwing out a side kick to the back of his head, sending Katsuhito sprawling forward. Not giving Katsuhito any time to react, the man was all over him. 

"Where's Grandfather?", Sasami asked.

Everyone around the dinner table looked at the empty spot where Katsuhito usually sat. Tenchi scratched the back of his head. 

"He said he was going to the shrine to get something and he'd be right back.", Tenchi said. "But that was a really long time ago."

"Maybe we should go look for him.", Sasami suggested.

Tenchi slid the door aside and looked into the shrine. There wasn't any light in there and it was a particularly dark night so he had to strain to see. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the light but they finally did. Shock appeared on his face at what he saw. 

"Grandfather!", he shouted, running into the shrine.

Katsuhito lay on the floor, face down. Tenchi ran to his side and kneeled down to him, rolling him over onto his back. He was followed by everyone else. They gathered around him with concern. 

"Oh. Tenchi.", Katsuhito groaned. 

"Yosho!", Ayeka cried.

"Grandfather, are you alright?", Tenchi asked. "Who did this?"

"Tenchi.", Katsuhito said, straining to speak. "Listen to me carefully for what I am about to tell you is very important to me. I have lived a long life and I have no regrets. You have been the greatest grandson an old man like me could ever ask for. And so, I am leaving the care of this shrine in your hands, Tenchi. Keep it well. Keep yourself well. Find yourself a good bride and treat her well. Always be true to yourself, and be careful, for the enemy you face now is much worse than Kaelan. He is fast and very skilled, and he works for a very dangerous man. A man I've only heard rumors and legends about long ago. He is even more dangerous than the one you face now. But don't let that get your guard down, Tenchi. This man is very dangerous."

"Who is it, Grandfather?", Tenchi asked. "Who did this to you?"

"Tenchi, live well.", Katsuhito said.

"Grandfather!", Tenchi cried. 

The last of Katsuhito's breath exited his mouth and his heart stopped beating. Ayeka began to shake her head no in a growing panic. Tears began to flood her eyes and she started to back away. 

"Oh no.", she cried, on the verge of breaking down into tears. "No, no, Yosho!"

Ayeka burst into tears and fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands and screaming. Tenchi shook his head and began to cry. He laid his head in his arms on Katsuhito's chest. 

"Grandfather!", Tenchi cried. 

Sasami and Mihoshi were also crying. Everyone else had sad faces and tears but stood in silence. Raven didn't shed any tears. He was upset, but he did not cry. He couldn't help but wonder who this new opponent was, but he sure as hell would pay him back for his actions.

Raven knocked on Sasami's door. He heard a faint "Who is it" from the other side and answered. 

"It's Raven.", he said. 

After a moment, the door slowly opened and a teary eyed Sasami stood in the doorway. She looked up at him with a sad face. 

"Can I help you with something?", she asked.

"Actually, I was going to ask you that.", He said. "Can I come in?"

Sasami nodded and led him in, closing the door behind them. She walked over to her bed and sat on the edge. Raven sat beside her.

"I can't believe he's really gone.", she said sadly. "I just can't believe it. He was so nice to all of us, letting us live here and all."

"Will you be ok?", Raven asked.

"Yeah.", she nodded. "After a while I guess. I'm really worried about Tenchi and Ayeka. They were the ones who are gonna be the most upset. Lord Katsuhito was Tenchi's grandfather, but he was more like a father to him. And Ayeka was supposed to marry him a long time ago. But now she really likes Tenchi."

"Hmm. Everyone seems to like Tenchi around here.", Raven said.

"Yeah. Ryoko and Ayeka are always fighting over him, but I think he just thinks it's annoying.", She commented.

Raven smiled a little bit at that thought. He even gave a little laugh that was barely audible. Sasami looked up at him. She started to smile a little to. She sniffled a little and started to giggle. 

"I guess that is kind of funny.", she said.

"Yeah.", Raven smiled at her. "I can see why Devin liked you."

"Really?", her eyes lit up.

"Yeah.", he nodded. 

"Thanks.", she said. 

"You're welcome.", He answered. "Well, I'm going to go check on the others. You stay strong, ok?"

"Ok.", she said. 

Raven closed the door to Sasami's room and turned toward the stairs. He stopped at the sound of Washu's voice. 

"Ryoko was right to fear your arrival.", she said. 

Raven turned around to see her leaning against a shady part of the wall. He looked at her with a curious face, wondering what she could have meant by that.

"I can see that now.", she continued. "That girl of mine always had a sense for trouble."

"I'm not sure I understand.", Raven shook his head.

Washu stood from her leaning position and stepped to face him. She looked up at him with her serious, green eyes.

"Come with me.", she said. "You'll understand when you see it."

Katsuhito lay in a preparation bed in Washu's lab. His kimono was soaked with blood, but most of it was on his chest. 

"I was preparing him to be buried when I discovered this.", Washu said. 

She pulled the kimono aside, revealing Katsuhito's chest. Raven's eyes widened and his heart beat sped up so fast he nearly passed out. 

"No.", he uttered, shaking his head.

On Raven's face was a look of disbelief, surprise, and fear. A backward Black Dove symbol had been carved into Katsuhito's chest. The wingspan went all the way across from one arm to the other. Washu looked up at him. 

"Now do you see why Ryoko didn't want you here?", she said. "You Doves don't bring anything but trouble here."

"But,", Raven stuttered, his eyes still focused intensely on the backward Dove. "But,"

"But what?", she asked.

"But I killed him.", Raven said. "I killed him. Damn it, I know I killed him!"

"Well apparently you didn't.", Washu said. "You wanna tell me who this guy is?"

Without a word, Raven turned and ran out of Washu's lab, full sprint. 

"Fine.", she said. "I'll just have to find out myself."

Raven burst through the door of Washu's lab and ran into the living room. He turned and stopped as he saw Ryoko standing at the sliding, glass door. Electrical energy surged over and around her body and she stood with her fists clenched. Past her he could see Tenchi and Ayeka out by the lake, holding each other. They were kissing, very passionately. Ryoko exploded in a rage of anger and sadness at the same time. She screamed and energy blasts shot from her hands and tore into the floor. She flew through the glass, shattering it every where and took off through the air, toward the forest. Tenchi and Ayeka looked up in surprise, just in time to see Ryoko fly off. Then they looked at the broken, glass door, seeing Raven inside. 

"Ryoko!", Raven shouted and took off running after her.

Ryoko flew through the forest, dodging through trees and brush, and every now and then just smashing such obstacles out of her way with her hands. She gathered energy in front of her and blasted at the deepening woods ahead, leaving a trail of cinders and flaming branches. Tears streamed from her eyes as she raged on, crying the whole time and screaming occasionally. 

Raven could barely keep up with her. He ran as fast as he could, trying to catch up with her. Finally she stopped in mid air. Her emotions and her rage were getting to a breaking point. It was like a massive force building up inside of her. Finally it burst outward, releasing an explosion of energy from every inch of her body. Raven stopped short and ducked for cover. He could hear her screaming under all of the commotion. Finally the blast subsided and Ryoko collapsed to her knees, breathing hard, tears still flowing. 

Raven stood slowly, turning his eyes to Ryoko. She sat kneeling in the center of a scorched black clearing. Glowing embers emitted a soft, pulsating, red light amid the scattered debris. He stepped toward her.

"Ryoko.", he said.

"You.", Ryoko's rage flared up again. 

Ryoko got to her feet and spun to face him, throwing an energy blast at him at the same time. Raven shifted his weight and dodged to the right, missing the blast by inches. It streamed by his face and exploded in the trees behind him. 

"You did this!", she shouted, sending another blast his way.

Raven ducked under this one and came up into a sprint, charging at Ryoko. Ryoko gathered several balls of energy around her and sending them all screaming through the air toward Raven. 

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't come here!", she screamed.

Raven ducked, jumped, rolled, and dodged, escaping each blast with machine like precision. With every move he made he got closer and closer. 

"Damn you, Raven!", she screamed, gathering another huge batch of energy directly in front of her. "It's all your fault!"

She released the energy, sending the huge mass of power rocketing toward him. Raven leaped high into the air, clearing the blast by quite a distance. He must have jumped at least thirty feet into the air and looked down at Ryoko far beneath him. The blast tore through the forest behind him, clearing a wide path through the woods. Raven came down right in front of Ryoko. Ryoko's eyes widened with surprise just in time to see Raven spin around with blinding speed, and kick her in the side, sending her flying through the air. She slammed hard against a tree and fell to the ground. The wind had been knocked out of her. She just sat there, leaning against the tree trunk, exhausted. 

Raven walked over to her and kneeled down in front of her. She shook her head and spoke.

"It was the old man's death that did it, you know.", she said softly. "That's what drove them together."

__

"Why did this have to happen, Tenchi?"

"They were the two closest to him.", she continued. "So naturally they would be drawn to each other. I don't blame them. I would have done the same."

__

"I don't know, Ayeka. I... I just don't know."

"Things like this always seem to happen when you people are around.", she went on. "You-"

__

"I don't think I'll be able to handle this, Tenchi."

"-Doves." she paused for a second. "You-"

__

"I don't think I could handle it on my own either."

"-bastards."

__

"What are we to do then, lord Tenchi?"

"For a while there I actually thought I could trust you.", she laughed a cynical laugh. "And then it turns out you really did take my Tenchi away."

__

"Well, I guess we could try to handle it together."

"You've taken away the only person I've ever loved.", Ryoko continued. "And I hate you for that."

Raven looked at Ryoko. Her eyes were closed and her head was leaning forward. She looked as though she could be asleep. 

"You have a habit of blaming the wrong people for the bad things that happen in your life, Ryoko.", he said. "I did not bring about Katsuhito's death and I certainly didn't take Tenchi away from you. I would never do such a thing as take a good person's dearest love away from them. I know that pain too well to do such a thing."

"Is that why you cry out at night?", Ryoko asked. "Is that why I hear you each night crying for someone named Taesia while you sleep?"

Ryoko looked up at him. He looked surprised. Then he closed his eyes and looked away.

"You didn't think I knew about that, huh.", she said. "Who is she anyway?"

Raven stood up and turned away from Ryoko. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Ryoko's face turned to surprise. She had never seen Raven even shed a tear. Not even when Katsuhito died. 

"Taesia was my Tenchi Masaki.", he explained. "She was everything in the universe to me. I loved her like I had never loved anyone before. I was going to marry that girl. But the night that I was going to propose to her, she died. She died right in my arms. I never forgave myself for letting that happen. That was when I took my walk and ceased to be a dove. I could no longer handle the responsibilities, so I walked. So, Ryoko, believe me when I say I know how you feel."

Raven turned to look at Ryoko. She was looking up at him, completely speechless.

"But at least your love is still alive.", Raven continued. "And you can still do something to protect him."

Ryoko stood up. Her seriousness returned. She dusted herself off and looked into Raven's eyes.

"Can we beat him?", she asked.

"I used to think it was possible.", Raven said. "But now I'm not so sure anymore."

"Who could possibly be that dangerous?", she asked, curiously.

"His name is Pitch.", Raven explained. "His sole purpose in life is to destroy me and the rest of the Black Doves. He is the most dangerous individual this galaxy has ever known, and it looks as though his mission is going to succeed. If I lose here, Devin won't stand a chance. Kaelan was a second rate street thug compared to Pitch. I thought I had killed him. But I guess he survived the explosion."

"How big was the explosion?", Ryoko asked.

"I blew up the planet he was on.", Raven answered. "I barely escaped myself."

"Then he must have gotten off the planet somehow, right?", Ryoko asked, hoping she was right. "Surely he didn't survive the blast."

"Ryoko, you must understand something about Pitch.", Raven said firmly. "He is unbelievably powerful and he has the will power of a diamond. He probably doesn't even know what his limits are, but make no mistake about it. He will push them. He would do anything to kill me. That's the one thing he wants most in life and he will push himself to the limits and past them to get it."

Ryoko paused for a moment. Her facial expression turned to puzzlement. 

"Why does this guy want you so bad?", she asked. 

"Because I created the Black Doves.", Raven answered.

"What's he got against them?", she asked further.

"There was once a brilliant human mind that said every action has an equal, if not greater, opposite reaction.", Raven quoted. "The Doves were the best. He was our reaction. It's what he was born for. To be my rival. To be my reaction."

There was a sudden snap from within the trees. Both Raven and Ryoko turned to see what it was. They stared into the dark forest, unable to see anything, much less the source of the noise. Ryoko became more and more defensive. 

"Easy, Ryoko.", Raven said quietly. "It isn't Pitch."

"How can you tell?", Ryoko asked. "Can you see him?"

"No.", Raven answered. "We wouldn't hear Pitch coming."

Ryoko's eyes glanced over at Raven for a moment, then turned back to the tree line. A rustling sound began to emanate from the darkness. It sounded like foot steps. Ryoko waited anxiously for her target to emerge. Finally, it did. Tenchi stepped into the clearing. Raven eased up and Ryoko let out a breath of relief.

"There you two are.", Tenchi said. "I've been looking all over for you. Are you two ok?"

"We're fine.", Raven said. "How's it going on your end?"

"As well as can be expected I guess.", Tenchi answered. "Listen, Ryoko, I just wanted to-"

"Forget it.", Ryoko cut him off. 

"Huh?", Tenchi looked shocked and confused. "What do you mean?"

Ryoko looked Tenchi in the eyes. "Don't worry about it, Tenchi. It doesn't matter anymore. You've made your decision and it wouldn't be right for me to challenge that. Besides, Ayeka's probably better for you anyway. After all, she is a princess and I'm just a space pirate. I couldn't make you happy, Tenchi, and that's what I want. I want you to be happy."

"You mean it, Ryoko?", Tenchi asked. "You mean, you really understand?"

Ryoko turned away from him. "Damn it, Tenchi, don't make me say it again!", she said, tears rolling down her cheeks. 

"I'm sorry Ryoko.", Tenchi said softly. "Thank you for understanding me. You always could."

Raven walked over to Tenchi. He put his hand comfortingly on Tenchi's shoulder. 

"I think you'd better go now.", Raven said quietly.

"I think you're right.", Tenchi agreed. "Take care of her for me, ok?"

Raven nodded. Tenchi turned and walked away. Raven looked over at Ryoko. Her breathing got faster as she started to cry out loud. Raven could tell she had been holding it back while Tenchi was there. She burst into tears and disappeared. 

"Ryoko!", Raven shouted after her, but she was already gone.

Ryoko sat on one of the branches of the tree of Jurai. The leaves around her waved lightly in the cool night's breeze. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Tenchi, how he would spend his life with someone else now, how things would never be the same anymore. 

"I thought I'd find you here.", Washu said. 

Washu's voice startled Ryoko. She quickly got to her feet and turned to see the scientific genius sitting on another branch near her.

"Washu? Where'd you come from?", Ryoko asked. 

"I made a dimensional portal that led to this tree.", Washu said. "I heard what happened."

Ryoko gave an expression of returning to disappointment, and slumped back down to a sitting position, leaning her back against the trunk. 

"Raven told me everything.", Washu continued. 

"Well it doesn't matter anymore, none of it does.", Ryoko said. "I don't need him. I don't need anyone. I'm Ryoko the space pirate. Love is for sissies."

"Come now, little Ryoko.", Washu shook her head. "You don't really think you can fool your mother do you. You don't really mean that."

"Don't you have an experiment to do somewhere?", Ryoko asked. 

"Ryoko.", Washu said. "I'm going to tell you something now, but you must promise never to tell anyone else. Ok?"

Ryoko folded her arms in an attempt to show stubborn disinterest. 

"Ok?", Washu followed up.

"Ok. What?", Ryoko gave in.

"When I was married all those thousands of years ago, nothing meant more to me in the universe than my husband and my baby.", Washu explained. "When they were taken from me it was like my whole world had been stolen. I wanted it back so badly, I would do anything to get it. That's when I created you. You were the light at the end of my tunnel. You were my baby and I loved you more than anything in the universe. Then that bastard Kagato kidnapped you and took you away from me. Now I finally have you back, little Ryoko, and though I may not show it I still love you. So all I want right now is for you to be happy."

"Well I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon, unless you have some kind of genius plan.", Ryoko said. 

"Well, I do have an idea.", Washu said. 

Ryoko looked up at the scientist. Washu's green eyes looked deep into hers with a look of sincerity.

"Raven seems to like you.", Washu suggested. "And I don't need to be the greatest scientific genius in the universe to see that you like being around him too."

"Don't be ridiculous!", Ryoko snapped. "That's absurd." She fell silent for a moment, then turned back to Washu. "It's that obvious, huh?"

"Mmm hmm.", Washu nodded.

"Man, I thought I was being a little more inconspicuous than that.", Ryoko said. 

"So, what's taking you so long?", Washu asked. 

"You know what it is.", Ryoko snapped. "It's Tenchi. I can't get him out of my head. There's no way I could ever stop loving him."

"Who said you had to stop loving him.", Washu asked. "Keep him in your heart, tucked safely away inside, and move on. You needn't forget someone in order to love another, little Ryoko."

Ryoko tilted her head back and looked up through the branches, catching tiny glimpses of stars, and sighed.

"Yeah.", she said. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am.", Washu said with a smile.

Ryoko looked to her side, thinking about all that had been said and all that could be done. Then she saw him. A man with white hair and just a tiny bit taller than Raven stepped out of the woods. He was wearing what seemed to be the favorite colors of all the shady characters that followed the Black doves around, black. He was definitely built to last. He was trim, but very strong looking. His shirt was a tank top and she could just barely make out a little black mark on his shoulder. She couldn't see exactly what it was, but she would soon find out. He hadn't seen them in the tree yet. They were too far in and were hidden by the leaves. 

"Pitch.", Ryoko whispered to herself. 

Her adrenaline began to pump and her heart began to race. She turned back to Washu with a serious and demanding face. 

"Hurry, get back to the house through your portal and tell Raven I've found Pitch by the tree of Jurai.", She said.

_Washu nodded and ducked into the portal. Ryoko turned back to see the man walk back into the trees. Ok. Let's see if you're as bad as Raven said you were, Ryoko thought to herself. _

Ryoko disappeared and reappeared on the ground beneath the tree. She flew across the stones in the water over to the shore and into the woods. _She moved slowly and cautiously through the trees, looking everywhere for her target. He was nowhere to be seen. Where could he have gone? _The forest was completely silent. Nothing moved. All was still. Ryoko moved quietly through the air, inches above the ground. Everything was dark, but her eyes soon became adjusted to the dimness. Still, she saw nothing moving. Suddenly a pair of legs swung down from one of the branches above her. She barely had time to think before her new instincts took over and she shifted her body to one side, just barely avoiding being kicked in the face. The man landed a few steps behind her and immediately turned toward her in a lightning fast spin kick to her face. Ryoko ducked under the kick, missing it by mere centimeters, and jumped straight up over his follow up sweeping kick. As soon as she touched the ground again her attacker came up with a side kick to her chest and she jumped backward in a back flip, narrowly escaping the blow. She landed several feet away from her white haired opponent and stared him in the eyes. He stared right back, but he wasn't breathing hard in the least. He was perfectly calm. She, on the other hand, had adrenaline for blood. At least that's what it felt like. She had never moved that fast instinctively in her life. Now that she thought about it, she had never moved that fast at all. She suddenly started reevaluating her position, wishing she had waited for Raven to get there. But she stood ready anyway. She hoped that she could keep up the kind of skill she was just using. 

"You move like a Dove.", he said. "Have we been taking lessons from someone?"

"Maybe I have.", Ryoko shot back. "What's it to you?"

"Fine.", he said. "Then I will stop taking it easy on you."

Ryoko's eyes widened. She got half way through a thought about how the hell this guy could be better than he just was, and he was in her face. He leaped forward so fast she couldn't keep track of him, and barely acknowledged the fact that he moved before he was inches away. He brought his knee hard up into her stomach. She doubled over and he brought his elbow down against the base of her skull, sending her toward the forest floor. Before she hit the ground, he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back up, throwing her back against a tree. He came up with another side kick. Instantly, Ryoko disappeared and his foot crashed into the tree, boring all the way through to the other side. 

Ryoko reappeared several yards behind him with energy balls in her hands. It was time for her to use all the things Raven had taught her. She would have to in order to survive until he got there. Forget winning the fight, she just hoped she could stay alive long enough. She launched both of the balls, one at his legs, the other at his chest. He quickly jumped, turning his body horizontally so it looked like he lay flat on an invisible bed. The blasts screamed past him, one inches above, and the other inches below, and he came down on his feet. Immediately he bolted toward her, running at incredible speed. He leaped forward in a flying jump kick. Ryoko jumped back, blocking his kick in mid air and turning her body sideways, putting her feet behind her and pushing off of a tree just as she hit it. She came off of the tree in a jump, flipping over the man. As soon as she landed he hit the tree and jumped from it, following her. She leaped back throwing two more blasts of energy at him, one after the other. He dodged them and kept coming, gaining on her. She formed her energy sword and swung it across at his chest. He fell forward in a spiral, keeping his body facing the blade as it passed over him, and finally faced the ground again, putting his leg down and stopping his descent. Immediately, while Ryoko still had her sword out to the side, he pushed up with that leg and brought his hand up toward her throat. Her eyes widened as she saw the death blow coming for her. Just as his hand was about to reach her throat, Raven's foot crashed into the man's side, sending him flying. The man put his arms out and grabbed the tree he was about to slam into, and stopped himself. He quickly turned around to see Raven standing beside Ryoko. They both got into fighting stances and faced him. Raven looked at the attacker and intrigue suddenly covered his face. 

"You're not Pitch.", Raven said. 

"What?", Ryoko exclaimed. 

The attacker smiled and shook his finger at them. 

"That's right.", he said. "You're very observant, Raven."

"Well if you're not Pitch, who are you?", Ryoko asked out of breath.

The attacker was still calm and was breathing very easily. He didn't appear to have gotten tired at all. Not even a little. 

"My name is Neko.", he answered. "I work for Pitch. I'm here to kill you."

"Are you the one who took out Dove Station?", Raven asked. 

"Well, I don't like to brag but, what the hell am I talking about? I'll brag all I want. It was fun. They really put up a fight, but in the end, I was the better warrior. You know, you really are a terrible teacher if those were your best students. I kind of regret that there's only one of you, Raven."

"Don't worry.", Raven said. "I'll be much more challenging than they were."

"We'll see.", Neko said.

Raven stepped forward. Neko stood his ground. The two warriors stared each other down for what seemed like a silent eternity. Raven began to wish he had taught Ryoko about the tactics of teaming up against one enemy, but it was too late for that. 

"Stay back, Ryoko.", Raven said. 

"Are you sure you want to do that?", Neko asked. "You'd better stay on your toes. I'm just full of surprises."

With that, Neko leaped forward, staying close to the ground and swinging his leg around in a sweeeping motion at Raven's feet. Raven hopped over it, clearing it just in time. Neko kept spinning and brought his leg up in a follow up side kick toward Raven's ribs. Raven turned his body sideways and blocked Neko's kick, moving it aside with his forearm. Once the kick was redirected, Raven turned his block into a strike, throwing his blocking arm into Neko's side and knocking him backward. Raven followed him with a spinning jump kick but Neko pushed off in mid fall, using his backward momentum to throw him just out of Raven's reach. The fight raged on.

Ryoko could hardly keep up with them as she watched with amazement. They were so fast. She could never hope to become this fast. It may not have been Pitch, but this guy certainly was a hell of a lot better a fighter than Kaelan was. She was just glad this wasn't the guy Devin had to fight. He wouldn't have stood a chance. Ryoko's eyes widened and she dove out of the way just in time for someone's foot to come crashing into a tree just inches away from where her head used to be, and push off back into the fight. She wasn't sure who's foot it was that almost crushed her skull because they were moving so fast, but she was sure she was glad as hell that she had seen it coming. 

The two raging powers moved through the forest as they fought, tearing it apart as they went at it. Ryoko tried to follow them, barely able to do so. Finally, the fight carried out of the trees and onto the shore of the little lake surrounding the tree of Jurai. Washu was sitting in her hovering chair above the tree, watching the fight and examining the new enemy. Her eyes narrowed. 

"Interesting.", she said to herself. 

Raven ducked just in time for Neko's leg to swing over his head and come back around in a sweep to his legs. Raven flipped backward and out of range of the albino's attacks. Neko ran toward him, bringing himself back in range, and attacked with a lethal barrage of punches, stepping forward with almost every blow. Raven was backing up fast to stay ahead of his opponent, swiftly blocking every punch. Ryoko watched from the tree line. She observed as the two made their way across from one side of the lake to the other in no time at all. She couldn't see what they were doing with their hands. All she could see of their arms was a blur. Every now and then a kick was thrown in by Neko and stopped half way to its target by a counter kick from Raven. Raven's arms were beginning to get tired. He started to move out of the way of Neko's attacks instead of blocking them. He remembered once when his father, a great man, had told him the best kind of block is to not be there. Every time Neko threw a punch, Raven would move and not be there when Neko's fist reached its destination. Raven's moves were lightning fast and precise as a laser. They had to be. Neko was no easy opponent, and he didn't seem to be getting tired at all. 

Neko jumped forward in a flying side kick toward Raven's chest. Raven spun to the side, pushing Neko's leg past him as he moved. As Raven touched Neko's leg, he got a small shock, like the kind you get when you touch someone who had been rubbing his feet on a carpet for a while. Neko landed and Raven had made his way behind him. Neko spun around with a hook kick toward Raven's head. Raven ducked down and to the side, missing the kick by a hair, and making a circle with his upper torso, coming back up to his upright position. Neko's fist swung down at Raven. Raven threw his arm up to stop it. Their fists collided head on and Raven got another shock. This one was just a little stronger than the last. Neko began to throw attack after attack with his arms, pushing Raven back across the shore again. As Raven blocked each attack he got shocked with every contact, each shock a little stronger than the last, until it started to get really painful. Raven jumped back as fast and far as he could, getting far out of Neko's reach. Neko stopped his pursuit and straightened out into a casual standing position. He was smiling devilishly at Raven. Raven was breathing hard, trying to catch his breath. Neko was calm and wasn't the least bit tired. 

"What's the matter, Raven?", Neko asked. "Getting tired?"

"Look out, Raven!", Washu shouted. "His body surface is charging with electricity the more you fight him! The movement must be what's generating it!"

"That's right.", Neko said. "The more we fight, the more dangerous it gets to touch me."

Neko leaped at Raven. Raven's eyes widened and he instinctively jumped back, trying to stay out of Neko's range. He barely escaped Neko's first punch and immediately moved aside to dodge a side kick. The kick flew past him but Neko hooked it around, catching Raven across the side of the face. The shock stung and burned, but it wasn't enough to leave any serious damage. Raven spun and fell, facing down, to the ground under the force of the kick. Quickly, he pushed himself up so that his arms were fully extended and he pulled himself into a somersault, jumping and flipping as soon as his feet touched the ground. He landed and turned to see Neko. Neko was right on top of him. Neko began to throw punches and Raven began to dodge them. The first punch came to the left, then the right, then one swung over his head and he ducked under it. Neko brought the last punch back with a back fist. Raven bent over backwards to escape this one. Neko's other arm followed and came down hard with an elbow to Raven's chest, knocking him to his back and shocking him a lot worse than the last time. 

Ryoko's eyes narrowed at seeing all this. She gritted her teeth and extended her energy sword. She shot through the air and swung her sword at Neko. Neko saw her coming out of the corner of his eye and moved out of the way. The sword missed his face by inches and Ryoko brought it back, swinging it at his legs. Neko jumped over the attack with a simultaneous forward kick to Ryoko's chest, shocking her and knocking her backward. The next thing Neko saw was the bottom of Raven's foot swinging around and crashing into his face. The kick sent Neko falling backward and he used the momentum to propel him to a backward flip, returning to his feet and a sturdy fighting stance. The strike wasn't a complete victory though. Raven had received a shock while delivering his blow. It was lessened by the rubber soles of his boot, but it was still enough to notice. 

Raven stood facing Neko, staring him down. Neko's special defense wasn't a surprise anymore and he was ready to take it on, full force. 

"You're pretty good.", Raven said. "But I still don't see how you took on the entire station of doves by yourself."

Neko came at him with attack after attack, but Raven was ready for everything he did. Raven jumped and dodged and ducked and moved. Neko just couldn't touch him. He was getting frustrated. He knew he had enough charge by now to do some real damage but it made no difference if he couldn't touch him. Raven began to smile mockingly at him and it was really pissing him off. 

"Fine!", Neko shouted. 

Neko swung his arm out and a thin metallic tendril whipped out from his wrist. Raven was caught by surprise, but his instincts saved him by millimeters as he dodged under the attack. He jumped far out of range and turned to face Neko. Another tendril extended from his other wrist. The metallic tentacles were about Neko's body length and were as flexible as a rope. 

"I'm guessing those are electrified also?", Raven asked. 

Neko smiled. The smile disappeared and Neko charged him again. He swung one of the whips at Raven's legs. Raven jumped over it and bent over backward as soon as he touched the ground, barely missing the second tendril. He came up straight again and, seeing the next whip attack coming, decided no more defense. He jumped toward Neko, getting too close for the whip, and slammed his fist into Neko's jaw. Neko fell back a few steps. Raven looked at his hand with a dangerous realization. His eyes narrowed and looked up at Neko. Neko saw a look of death in Raven's eyes and actually started to get a little nervous. The shock was not as bad as it was before. He used up too much energy extending the tendrils. He was vulnerable but Raven had to strike now before the charge rejuvenated itself. Raven ran at him, feigning an upright attack but when Neko swung high Raven bent his legs and widened his stance, coming in low and executing a devastation side kick to Neko's ribs under his arm. Neko shouted and slid sideways under the force of the kick. Before Raven's kicking leg could even reach the ground again he pushed off with his other leg, throwing his fist out simultaneously and striking Neko hard against the cheek bone. Without hesitation, he followed up by spinning around with a back fist that collided with Neko's face, knocking his head back in a whiplash motion and causing him to fall to his back, stunned. Raven turned to face his fallen opponent. 

"Are you finished?", Raven asked. 

He looked down at Neko. Neko looked just about ready to give. Raven had put a hell of a lot of force into those attacks. Probably enough to cripple a grizzly bear. Neko lay incapacitated on the ground. Just as Raven dropped his defenses, Neko's tendrils burst from the ground behind Raven, one wrapping around his throat, the other around his legs. The tired look on Neko's face changed to a sadistic smile and he jumped to his feet, pulling the rest of his tendrils out from the dirt. The tentacles gripped tight around Raven's legs and neck. Raven couldn't move his legs and was suffocating under the steely grip. If that wasn't bad enough, the tentacles were surging with electricity and were burning his skin. He grabbed at the tendrils around his throat, enduring the shocks to his hands, but he couldn't get a good grip. Neko moved in, his arms busy holding the tentacles tightly. He began to kick Raven, trying to exhaust the oxygen still in his blood and speed up his suffocation. The electric shocks got worse and worse each time Neko attacked. Neko was about to throw another kick but bent backward instead, barely escaping half a dozen energy blasts that came from his right. He looked over to see Ryoko gathering another array of energy balls. This time there were at least twice as many. 

"Let him go and fight me, Neko!", she demanded. "You people have to learn to stop taking away the ones people like us love, and I'm gonna teach you!"

Neko appeared interested. He released his hold on Raven and turned toward Ryoko. Raven collapsed to the ground, barely conscious. 

"If you insist.", he said. 

"_Washu, get Raven out of here.", Ryoko said through her telepathic link to Washu._

__

"Get Neko in the water.", Washu responded. "It will diminish his charge."

"You know, Raven taught me a lot of things.", Ryoko said. 

"Then stop talking and let me see them.", Neko demanded.

Ryoko's energy sword extended. She leaped into the air and flew toward Neko, the energy balls following close behind and around her. Just before she got to him she banked right and flew by him. As she did, a couple of the balls broke formation and shot toward him. He jumped backward and to his sides, almost effortlessly dodging every one of them. Ryoko spun around to face him again, launching a couple more. Neko leaned to his side as one screamed past his face. He jumped in the direction he was leaning and another one exploded where his feet used to be. The last of the three missed by a lot but did something none of the others did. It turned and followed him. He landed in a roll and got to his feet, taking off running as soon as they were on the ground. He threw his feet in front of him and he slid and fell onto his back. The energy ball flew over his face, barely missing him by inches, and turned sharply toward the ground where his legs were. He stretched his arms out to his sides and grabbed the ground, pulling his legs to the side, keeping them straight. The ball exploded as it impacted on the ground. Neko straightened out his body to align with his legs and rolled onto his stomach. He pulled himself from a laying down position to a handstand without straining even a little bit and threw his legs all the way over, flipping to a standing position. He twisted his body to look behind him. Ryoko flew straight at him and swung her sword across at him. Neko quickly fell in the direction she was swinging from and whipped one of his tendrils at her, wrapping it around her legs and jerking her to a stop. By now the shocks were almost lethal, even for Ryoko. She screamed. He got to his feet and jerked the tendril back hard, pulling her toward him. As she was about to go past him he jumped into the air with a spinning jump kick that connected with Ryoko's face, sending her flipping backward as she continued past him. She hit the ground face down. Trying to think clearly through the pain of the voltage surging through her body, she quickly pulled herself into a forward somersault, kicking her feet forward and jerking on the tendril in the same fashion Neko had done. Neko was pulled into the air and went soaring over Ryoko. With a splash, the white haired killer landed in the lake. Almost immediately the electrocution stopped. Ryoko sat up and severed the tendril a few inches below her feet with her energy sword. The metallic tentacle retracted back into Neko's wrist like a tape measure when you let the end go. 

"Well if it isn't this Pitch character you mentioned earlier, who is it?", Ayeka asked. 

"I don't know.", Washu answered. "But whoever it is, he's dangerous. And Ryoko is all alone with him right now."

"She doesn't stand a chance.", Kiyone said. 

"Kiyone's right, Washu.", Tenchi agreed. "If Raven can't beat him, how could Ryoko possibly win?"

"Don't count her out yet, Tenchi.", Washu said. "Raven has taught her a lot. This guy isn't as skilled a fighter as Raven but he is very tricky. Ryoko also has a lot of tricks and Raven has shown her how to use them better."

"So you're saying she can beat him?", Kiyone asked. 

"The way she is now?", Washu said cynically. "I wouldn't bet on it. But there is a way she could win. That would involve a little intervention by you, Tenchi."

"How could I help her?", Tenchi asked, curiously.

"You are a very interesting boy, Tenchi.", Washu began. "You have the ability to create the wings of the light hawk, as does Ryoko."

"What?", Ayeka gasped. "Ryoko can use the light hawk wings?"

"I didn't want to tell anyone but it seems this is the only way.", Washu said. 

"How many can she create?", Ayeka asked. 

"Technically, I haven't got a clue.", Washu replied. "But theoretically it may be possible for her to create the same amount as Tsunami."

Ayeka stood in amazement at this. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide. She couldn't believe it. 

"But she can't do it without all of her gems.", Washu said. 

Tenchi's eyes narrowed. "I know what to do."

Ryoko flew toward Neko, inches above the water. Following her were three energy balls. She launched them at Neko and he dodged each one. It was a little harder thigh high in water, but he still did it with precision. Suddenly he noticed that those blasts were just a diversion for nearly thirty more speeding toward him underwater. He could see the glow of death rocketing at him like torpedoes from all directions. He kneeled down, bringing his knees to his chest and just before the energy balls hit he shot his legs out like pistons, sending him into the air. The glowing projectiles pulled up sharply and followed him into the air. He counted on this and threw two large rocks at the approaching missiles. They exploded on impact and the blast sent him flying higher into the air. He was on his way down when he saw about five of the energy balls survived and were still coming at him. He twisted his body this way and that way, missing each blast by such a tiny amount that they began to singe holes in his nearly skin tight clothing. He splashed into the water and quickly got to his feet, diving out of the way as the blasts followed him down and crashed into the lake, exploding with a force that sent him flying. He fell into the water and submerged. Ryoko looked over the water's surface, trying to find her target frantically. The water became still. Nothing moved. She waited for at least five minutes, then shook her head. 

"He must have drowned or something.", she said to herself. 

She was about to give up and go home when one of the tendrils shot from the water and wrapped around her throat before she could even flinch. Neko's face appeared from the water with an evil smile glaring up at her. Ryoko struggled to get free. She was about to extend her sword again when the second tendril shot up and wrapped her hands together. 

"Ryoko!", Tenchi shouted. 

Tenchi extended his sword of Jurai and prepared to go after her. 

"No, Tenchi.", Ryoko struggled to say. "Stay back. It's too dangerous."

"I won't leave you!", Tenchi shouted. 

"Yes, Tenchi.", Neko said. "Come here. Be a man. Fight me."

"NO! DAMN IT, TENCHI! STAY AWAY!", Ryoko screamed

Neko looked up at her with curiosity, then amazement. He could feel power radiating from Ryoko's body. 

"I'M LOSING RAVEN TO HIM ALREADY!", she cried. "I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU! NOT AGAIN!"

Neko's amazement turned to fear. Ryoko's scream and cry seemed to reflect on her energy as she exploded with power. A white light shone from around her. Neko turned his head and squinted his eyes at the brightness of it. Ryoko surged with the power of the light hawk, but it was uncontrolled. Ryoko was in a rage of panic and fear. She screamed even louder and the light turned into a blinding explosion. Tenchi fell to the ground and covered his eyes with one arm. The explosion was huge. The whole sky filled with white light and the noise shook the Masaki house. Finally, Ryoko was exhausted and the explosion died down. The light faded and everything returned to normal except for a couple of changes. First, there was no sign of Neko. He had been disintegrated by the immense power of the blast. The lake was deeper and wider as the explosion had made a crater. The tree of Jurai still stood, but barely. It was singed and blackened on one side. Its Juraian power barely saved it. 

Ryoko closed her eyes, gave a quiet moan, and collapsed into the lake. Tenchi was on the ground surrounded by a red force field. He looked up with confusion. He didn't have any idea what was going on. He looked over at Ryoko. Seeing her in the water he realized he didn't have time to think about it. 

"Ryoko!", he cried.

He quickly got to his feet and ran toward her. He dove into the lake and swam out to her, grabbing hold of her and swimming her back to shore. He laid her on her back, holding her in his arms, shaking her a little to wake her up.

"Ryoko.", he said softly.

Ryoko's eyes opened slowly and drearily. She looked up at Tenchi. 

"Tenchi.", she whispered softly.

"Yes, Ryoko?", he asked.

"I'll always love you... Tenchi... no matter what.", she trailed off and lost consciousness.

"I don't understand it, Washu.", Tenchi said. "What happened?"

"Well, I didn't want you to know then because it would have affected the outcome, but Ryoko didn't need you to give her anything.", Washu explained. "She knew exactly how dangerous that assassin was and that if you got close to him he would have killed you. I knew you would try it anyway and that was the whole plan. We put you in inescapable danger and pushed Ryoko into complete desperation. Then I flooded her subconscious at just the right time with images of the time when it appeared that Kagato had killed you. That triggered Ryoko's hidden power."

"I see.", Tenchi said. "But didn't she still need all of her gems?"

"She already had them silly.", Washu laughed. "Lord Katsuhito gave them back to her after the fight with Kaelan to make sure we would be ready if that kind of thing ever happened again. Good thing, huh?"

"Yeah.", Tenchi smiled. "But when I used the light hawk wings, I had more control over them. What happened there?"

"Ryoko was in a state of panic and rage.", Washu said. "She wouldn't have been able to focus even if she was using her normal power. Not only that, but she has more power than you. That's why I put a force field generator on your back when you weren't looking."

"Oh, you did that.", Tenchi said. "Wow, Washu, you think of everything."

"Of course.", Washu smiled. "I am the greatest scientific genius in the universe!"

Ryoko lay in bed asleep and recovering. Her breathing was shallow and relaxed. 

"Raven.", she said quietly in her sleep. "I won't let him take you from me."


End file.
